


No Other Version of Me

by caitlinrose923



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2021-01-27 04:40:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21386233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caitlinrose923/pseuds/caitlinrose923
Summary: Leroy isreallyover being Grumpy, okay?
Relationships: Grumpy | Leroy/Nova | Astrid
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	No Other Version of Me

Leroy will never admit it out loud, but he prefers the normal names of Storybrooke, of the land without magic, to the name(s) he was given in the Enchanted Forest. It seems unfair, in retrospect, to name the dwarves after just one personality trait. As though Happy is never in a bad mood or as though Sneezy never coughs instead sometimes.

So now, he prefers Leroy, which is more generic and doesn’t tell anyone anything about him before they’ve even said hello.

The other benefit to living in a land with no magic, a land where they’re all just… people, is that there’s no rules against one person dating another person. And he really, _really_ wants to ask Nov—- Astrid on a date. Miners Day, back before the curse had been broken, was the last time he saw her. And now that he remembers that she’s not actually a nun, he figures now is his chance.

He’s been thinking about it since the beam of light encompassed the town when Emma woke up little Henry. But of course, then came the wraith, and then the other curse, and then the wicked witch. And Leroy’s starting to think he’s never going to get the chance to just ask her. It’s not like he’s always in the center of the action, and if another villain came along, it wouldn’t matter if he was out to dinner when they crossed the town line, right?

He walks past the church at least six times before Blue finally comes out to see what he’s up to.

“Leroy, can I help you with something?” she asks, and he can’t tell if it’s genuine concern or if she’s just growing irritated about the fact that he’s skulking around in front of the building.

“It’s just… no. No I’m okay.” He begins to head home, deciding that Astrid probably wouldn’t have said yes anyway, that he’s just fooling himself into thinking that she’s interested. Their interactions in the Enchanted Forest were so long ago, she probably doesn’t even remember.

“Astrid isn’t here,” Blue tells him with a knowing smile. He turns back to look at her, eyes wide in surprise. “She left last week.”

Last _week_? Leroy prides himself on knowing most, if not all, of the town gossip. How had this slipped past him? He stares at Blue, unsure what to do next.

“Go get her, Leroy!” The former fairy laughs. “If I had to guess, she’ll be staying at Granny’s until she finds a place.”

The urge to hug this woman — the very same one who’d forced him away from Nova in the first place — is strong, and very surprising. He doesn’t give into it, but he begrudgingly acknowledges its existence and sticks with a nod and a simple _thank you_ instead before he runs off in the direction of the Inn.

“Leroy! Back so soon? We’ve barely washed your plates from breakfast,” Granny jokes when he bursts through the door. Then she takes in his heavy breathing and the panicked look he’s sure is on his face and she reaches underneath the counter for her crossbow. “What’s happened?” she asks, ready for battle.

“Where’s Astrid?” Leroy pants. Granny cocks her head at him. She slowly lowers the crossbow back into its hiding place and places her chin in her hands, leaning on the counter. 

“Why do you ask, Leroy?” She’s enjoying this, he can tell.

“Listen, sister, I don’t have time for games.” Who knows when the next creature or witch or crazy person will be coming to Storybrooke by car or ship or portal. Leroy just wants _one quiet meal_ with a pretty woman before all hell breaks loose.

Again.

“Room 3,” Granny says with a wink, and Leroy’s off again before his nerves can get the better of him.

He knocks with probably a bit too much force and he hears a small shriek in response to the noise.

“Coming,” she calls. And then she opens the door, dressed in a pink sweater and blue jeans, looking every bit _not_ a nun and _not_ a fairy and just… Astrid.

“Hi,” Leroy says, and he feels the smile creeping across his face. He hopes he’s not imagining the way her eyes light up when she sees him.

“Hi,” she replies.

Now what?

“Are you hungry?” he asks, and it’s definitely not what he meant to say, but it’s out of his mouth so he can’t take it back. She nods, her teeth worrying her lip in what he really hopes is anticipation. “Do you wanna get some dinner?” She nods again.

Astrid locks up her door carefully, slowly, before joining Leroy in the hallway. The backs of their knuckles brush against each other as they walk. Once, twice, and then he takes a chance (seriously, next time he gets a pickaxe, it better say Brave or Chance-Taker or something else that shows he’s still changing, still evolving) and takes her hand. She squeezes it once before looking at him with a smile on her face. And the emotion in her eyes is one he recognizes from all those years by Snow White’s side: Hope.


End file.
